Ag News: US Beef to Morocco

**USDA and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative recently announced Morocco is now open to imports of U.S. beef.

U.S. Meat Export Federation’s Monty Brown just completed his initial visit to Morocco where he met with several prospective buyers and distributors expressin strong interest in U.S. beef.

Brown notes the duty-free quotas included in the U.S.-Morocco Free Trade Agreement offer opportunity for establishing a foothold for U.S. beef in Morocco where ALL duties on U.S. beef will be phased out by 2023.

**The American Dairy Coalition is calling on President Trump to liquidate the national cheese surplus, created by a reduction in cheese exports to China by nearly 65% and over 10% to Mexico.

According to milkbusiness.com, the ADC told the President there are currently 1.4-billion pounds of American, cheddar and other cheeses sitting in cold storage throughout the U.S.

They note with the price of milk at a record low, it’s necessary that this surplus be liquidated to jump-start the industry.

**At the direction of President Trump, Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue announced a plan to ensure that low-income Americans have access to the nutrition they need, despite the inability of Congress to pass an appropriations bill that safely secures our borders.

The plan provides full benefits for participants in USDA’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for the month of February.

When USDA’s funding expired on December 21st, SNAP benefits for January were fully funded.